Hibiscus surattensis (PROSEA)
 |
Introduction |
- Family: Malvaceae
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: jukut riyut, gamet (West Java), lara gurut (Java)
- Malaysia: asam susur
- Philippines: sabnit (Tagalog), barbarinit (Ilocano), labneg (Bisaya)
- Laos: sômz faayz
- Thailand: chamot, somkop (central), somkengkheng-pa (northern)
- Vietnam: bụp xước, rau chua gai.
Distribution
Widespread in the Old World tropics, including South-East Asia, but not in New Guinea.
Uses
The acid leaves and fruits are cooked and often eaten with fish. It is sometimes grown for its stem fibres.
Observations
- An erect or trailing herb or undershrub, up to 2 m tall, often rooting at the nodes, with spiny stem, petioles, pedicels and nerves.
- Leaf-blade orbicular to transversally elliptical in outline, 4.5-10 cm × 5-14.5 cm, 3-5-palmatilobed or divided, often somewhat hairy; petiole 4-11 cm long with broad leafy stipules.
- Flowers yellow with dark purple centre.
- Fruit an ovoid to globose capsule, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, appressed hispid by stiff hairs, enclosed by the calyx.
In young secondary vegetation and teak forests, and occasionally in waste places near villages, up to 1200 m altitude.
Selected sources
13, 44, 89.